Pregnant woman, husband killed as car catches fire in Kerala

A pregnant woman and her husband were charred to death after the car in which they were travelling caught fire in the Kannur district in Kerala on Thursday.

Four persons, including the elder daughter of the deceased couple, had a narrow escape. The tragic incident took place while the pregnant woman was being taken to the hospital following labour pain. They had almost reached the hospital.

Local sources identified the deceased as Prajith, 32, and his wife Reesha, 26, hailing from Kuttiattoor in the district. Apart from their elder daughter, Reesha's parents and a relative survived the mishap with minor injuries.

Prajith was driving the car and Reesha was sitting on the front side. The front portion of the car initially caught fire while running. Local people who rushed to the spot managed to save the four persons in the rear seat. Prajith and Reesha could not be rescued as the fire had immediately spread, said local people who took part in the rescue.

Fire and rescue personnel rushed to the spot and doused the fire. An electric spark caused by the improper fixing of accessories was prima facia suspected to be the cause of the fire.